Rear wheel bearing replacement
 

any suggestions or tips in my endeavour, words of wisdom or insight from experience?

So the old girl has some play in her rear wheel. I can tell when I push and pull vigorously side to side it has too much play and there is a bit of a knocking sound. It's not much of a surprise since it's a 98 with 67K miles on it and I have been having a lot of fun on it lately (the back wheel that is;) )

So my question is this, can I safely assume that it's only the bearings that need replacement or are there other components that go along with it that will need to be replaced if the bearings are toast?

Is it also the driven flange bearings that need replacement?

I once had my driven flange bearings on my rc51 damaged from a tight chain but the wheel bearings were fine. Should I just replace all the bearings together?

The reason I ask is because I do not have a rear stand of my own at the moment. I'm undecided if I should buy the bearings (and other parts I may need) and bring it to a shop and ask them to do the work for me or if I should invest in a stand and a few tools and do the work myself (which would likely save me money, plus I like wrenching).

any suggestions for types of bearings or should I just go with OE?

I came across this for bearings installation and it makes sense but in reality how difficult is it to tell if you have seated the bearing enough not to side load it either by not having seated it fully or having seated it too much? http://www.allballsracing.com/media/...ng_Install.pdf

I went with all balls and I replaced all of them. Once you're in there, you may as well clean everything and do it right, esp since the cost is reasonable. I don't have any stands, I use a mobile floor jack, but you can jack it up with a car jack and/or push it up on some boards so that you can slide a support under swingarm(best to have someone help).

You can seat bearings with the old bearing or similar if you're careful and take it down gradually/no hurry. There is a different sound and feel when the bearing is fully seated. Of course, it's best to use extraction/install tools, but can be done well without.

thanks for the advice advice.

there are a few good videos out there on youtube.

which method did you use to remove the old bearings?

I think this is tweety psted some plans for a bike stand, i might try and have one made locally.

or suspend the bike from something to keep it up in the air.

If you enjoy working on the bike its a good job to try and learn how to do. If you don't enjoy that, just have someone do it. Its not a job you will ever do very frequently unless you like working on old bikes. I think its easy to do it wrong, or bugger the bearings you are putting in - so read carefully and follow the instructions you find. I would replace them all if you are doing it. Also, check the rubbers in the cush drive - they might be toasted and good to replace while in there to improve the driveline lash.

You should do the bearings yourself. Its a good little project. Put the new ones from all balls in the freezer overnight to contract them. If you hack around you can get a rear stand for like $50 (Low Profile Rear Motorcycle Spool Stand) and will always get use out of it. I also made these stands out of 2x6 on the cheap to do shock swaps.
I mounted the bases 90* from each other to give lateral and fore/aft stability. Best bang for the buck ever as I use them alot. (barbell bar in front of the pass pegs hold the bike.

With that mileage/wheelies change the front too. It can get unpleasant when those go.

Craigslist the rear stand... I found mine for $25 and use it on such a regular basis that it's ridiculous. Sometimes I just park it on there cause it looks better that way...

I'm telling ya, if Bubba Buttcrack can get PAID to change wheel bearings, then there isn't one member of this forum who would be incapable.

The best way would be with someone looking over your shoulder who has done it and has a sense of humor. The second best is with a shop manual and a reasonable set of tools. Don't ever regret any money spent on a tool.

And, oh yeah, remember to reinstall the center spacer that goes inside the wheel between the bearings. Don't ask why I mention it.

Can the new bearings be seated using the old bearings as the driver? Or should I use something else with the same outer diameter?
How much easier does it make to seat the new bearings if they are put in the freezer over night?

a bottle jack under the swingarm opposite the kickstand side is ok for short work but be careful, however it does put some stress on the kickstand, had mine on one today when i changed chain and back tire

Definitely put them in the freezer it really helps, you can use the old bearings, just use many small taps all the way around instead of a few big blugeoning wacks.

I use this
Motorcycle Swingarm Rear Stand
It is inexpensive and there is a 10$ kit to make it work with forks. I often park my bike on it and working on Exia is allot easier with it on.

When changing my chain and sprockets toay I discovered that my rear bearings need to go also. I already have the all balls one for the front 17$ shipped off of ebay, but need to order the rear soon.

An interesting fyi. 32k and it looks as though I had stock sprockets on this hawk!

anyone know off hand what size sockets I will need to remove the front and rear wheels?

22 mm. and 27 mm. for the axles

don't use the old bearings as drivers. The actually ball will stick out slightly further than the races and will disrupt the balls on the bearing you are trying to drive in. Might only damage the oil seal but don't do it.

When using the old bearing to drive in the new, your strikes should only be on the outer race. This prevents damage to the balls and races.

a socket works well as a driver if you cant find any brass bushings or something of the sort

Mine has slight rear wheel play when on the rear stand. Not much but enough that I can get a clunk out of it. Should I replace the cush drives at the same time? Thay looked like new at last tire change. I'm due for a new tire. Should I immediately stop riding until I get it done? It's a 98 with 22,000 miles.

+1 for getting your own stand. youd probably pay more for labor if you got someone else to do it. plus youll use the stand for the rest of your motocycling life